Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Breast Self-Examination among Women Working in a Tertiary Care Hospital in India

Breast cancer has emerged as a major public health problem and early detection helps in bringing down the burden. Even thoughMammography is the best choice for screening, it is expensive and requires skilled personnel. Breast Self-Examination (BSE) is important in early detection and for mass awareness especially in resource poor countries. Nurses and midwives constitute major contributors in delivering health care and education and if these are empowered and trained they can convince women to perform BSE. Various studies conducted on nurses BSE practice show that the nurses are generally ineffective practitioners of BSE and that their frequency of BSE teaching is low.To assess the knowledge and practice of effective BSE among female nurses. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 90 female nurses working in a tertiary care hospital. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and practice of BSE. Written consent was taken from the participants. Data was collected on the socio demographic information, knowledge and practice of BSE. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16.: 55.6% of the nurses said that BSE should be performed once in 6 months, 18.9% felt that it should be performed monthly. 42.2% of the nurses said that BSE has no relation to menstrual cycle. 86.7% of nurses said that BSE should be performed in standing up position and the first source of information was BSE awareness programmes. 75.6% nurses practiced BSE but only 33.3% were effectively practicing BSE. 50% of the nurses said that they were confident in performing BSE. The major reasons for practicing were, early detection has a great value and fear of Breast cancer. Themajor reasons for not practicing BSE were, afraid I will find something 54.5%.The study indicates that nurses had inadequate knowledge about BSE. Practice of BSE was high but very few practiced it effectively.

ABSTRACT:
 Background: Breast self examination (BSE) is a fairly reliable procedure for early detection of breast cancer especially in limited resource countries where access to and availability of mammography is inadequate. BSE helps women to be familiar with their breasts and increases awareness of breast cancer and breast cancer screening modalities like Clinical breast examination (CBE) and Mammography. This study aims at testing the knowledge base of our female tertiary students on breast cancer in addition to knowledge, attitude and practice of BSE.
 Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study based on self-administered pre-tested questionnaire on the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of Breast self examination (BSE) among females of a tertiary institution. Data were analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.
 Results: A 284 female student with mean age of 20.8±3.3 years participated in the study. 98.6% have heard of breast cancer, with media and books being the commonest source of information. Only 60.0% of the participants had been taught BSE, with commonest source of teaching being teachers and parents. Above half of the participants (55.6%) practiced BSE with only 8.1% ever discovered abnormality. There was significant association between practice of BSE and being taught BSE or hearing about BSE (p < 0.001).
 Conclusion: The knowledge of breast self examination among the study participants acquired largely through books and media though very high but the level of practice is still very low. There is significant association between knowledge and teaching of BSE with the practice of BSE.

Background: Adolescent females have reduced ability to self-detect breast abnormalities early. Improving their knowledge and practice of breast self-examination (BSE) will reverse this trend. Objective: This study evaluated the effect of two interventions on BSE knowledge and practice among in-school adolescent females in Delta State, Nigeria. Methods: A quasi-experimental research was conducted among ninety female secondary school students selected using a multistage sampling technique from three public secondary schools in the state. There were three groups: two experimental groups and a control. Experimental groups had BSE educational pamphlet alone (BPAM), and a combination of BSE pamphlet and BSE training (BPAME). The control group had a cervical cancer educational pamphlet. Participants were followed-up for eight weeks after the study implementation. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23.0. Results: Mean age of respondents was 15.64 ± 1.33years. There was a significant difference in the respondents' level of BSE knowledge between baseline and 8 weeks follow-up (BPAM=5.20±2.28 to 21.56±1.85, t =29.44, 29 p<.05; BPAME=7.03±1.13 to 21.73±1.26, t =31.77, p<.05), and a significant difference in the level of BSE practice 29 between baseline and 8 weeks follow-up (BPAM 0.33±1.21 to 4.90± 1.56, t =13.25, p<.05; BPAME= 32.76±4.66 29 to 63.83±2.80, t =18.99, p<.05). Both interventions had same impact on BSE knowledge (Effect size ES=0.97, 29 p=0.000) but BPAME had a higher impact on BSE practice [(BPAM: ES=0.87, p=0.000) and (BPAME: ES=0.92, p=0.000)]. Conclusion: Both interventions had significant influence on the respondents' knowledge and practice of BSE but combined BSE pamphlet and training had more impact on BSE practice.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Breast cancer incidence is increasing both in developed and developing regions. Regular breast self-examination (BSE) is one of the most cost effective methods for early detection of breast cancer in asymptomatic women. The aim of this study is to assess the magnitude of BSE practice and its associated factors among female health professionals working in public health facilities in Western Ethiopia. The study applied is health facility based cross-sectional study design. Simple random sampling technique was used to recruit a total of 390 female health professionals. The study was conducted from January to March, 2015. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression model was used, odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were computed and significance of all tests was decided at p-value of 0.05. From the total respondents, 77% had ever practiced BSE and only one third (33.7%) of them practiced regularly. Not experiencing breast problem (12.7%) was the main reason for not practicing regular BSE. After adjusting for possible confounders; personal history of breast cancer (AOR=4.7, 95%CI: 1.32-17.07), having knowledge of BSE (AOR=4.1, 95%CI: 1.36-5.65), positive attitude (AOR, 3.8, 95%CI: 2.10-9.17) and ever taught BSE to a client (AOR=5.2, 95%CI: 2.35-8.14) were found to be statistically significant predictors of BSE. Even though the life time BSE practice in this study was high, the regular BSE practice was low. Thus, trainings on BSE practice will be important to improve the practice level of health professionals and their counseling skill for the clients.       Key words: Breast self-examination, health professionals, practice, females.

Objective: In the past 20 years, breast cancer incidence in the world has a dramatic increase of 50-100%, which strongly supports the need for breast cancer prevention, and screening programs.The purpose of this study was to identify and investigate the knowledge and practice of breast self examination (BSE) with the influencing factors on the compliance of (BSE) among female nurses. Methods: A study was conducted between January and December 2002. Female nurses (80) from Prince Rashid Military Hospital constituted the study population. The questionnaire contained items on the demographic characteristics of the respondents, knowledge of breast cancer; attitudes toward BSE and questions regarding the practice of BSE. The analysis included descriptive statistics to examine the association between BSE and medical history, knowledge of BSE and attitudes toward BSE. Results: The results of the study indicated that 52% of the sample performs BSE. Approximately 30% of those who perform BSE said they learned information regarding BSE during their work experience. The significant relation was found between higher levels in work experience and BSE practice. Except for age, no significant relation was found between the socio-demographic factors and BSE practice. The sample showed strong belief in breast lump as a causing factor of breast cancer and had significant correlation with BSE practice. Conclusion: Positive correlations were found between nursing work experience and their practice in BSE as working nurses. Studies like these can enhance the knowledge regarding BSE among nurses and other medical professionals.

Breast self-examination (BSE) is a preventive tool for early identification of breast changes and abnormalities. This study was aimed at assessing breast self-examination knowledge and practice among female secondary students in Delta State, Nigeria. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among female senior secondary school students from selected public schools in Delta State, Nigeria. This study utilized a self-administered 59-item validated questionnaire for data collection from 216 consenting female students who volunteered to take part in the study. The knowledge and practice of breast self-examination were measured on 33 and 18 points reference scales, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Frequency, mean, standard deviation and correlation analysis were reported. All statistical tests were at 5% level of significance. The mean age of the respondents was 15.5± 1.11 years. The mean score for knowledge of BSE was 5.8±3.8 while the mean score for BSE practice was 7.3±2.1. Correlation analysis showed no significant relationship between knowledge and practice of BSE (p=0.095, R= 0.114). The overall knowledge and practice of BSE was very poor. This calls for the need to improve breast self-examination advocacy among the adolescents; training and intervention programs to improve their knowledge as well as the regular practice of BSE.

Background: Currently, Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women. Despite being second and first leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women globally and in Tanzania respectively, breast cancer is detected by using potentially recommended breast self- examination (BSE) as cornerstone of breast cancer early detection method. Objective: To determine awareness, knowledge, practice and barriers of BSE among women attending clinics at Majengo Health center in Moshi municipality, Kilimanjaro region. Methodology: Hospital based Cross-sectional descriptive study was used. Systemic randomly sampling technique was used to select participants. Respondents interviewed by using semi- structured questionnaire. Data processed and analyzed by using SPSS Version 20. Results: A total 300 urban women from Majengo health center were studied. Their age ranged from 20-56 with mean age of 28.82 years (SD+6.628). Majority 142(47.3%) have primary level of education and about 197(65.7%) were Self – employed. 95% of women heard about BSE, among them only 26(27%) had adequate awareness in which Mass media like Radio (36%) and Television (25%) were main source of information. 94% knew performing BSE and among them, only 31(33%) had adequate knowledge on performing Breast Self-Examination (BSE). 31% respondents practiced BSE and among them, only 25(26.6%) had regular practice. Lack of knowledge on performing BSE 179(59.7%) was the major Barrier in practicing BSE among respondents. Conclusion: This work reveals low level and incomplete awareness, knowledge and practice of BSE among women in Moshi municipality. Recommendation: Effective improvement of health Education covering knowledge and practice of Breast SelfExamination (BSE).

BackgroundBreast cancer (BC) is a non-communicable disease with increased morbidity and mortality. Early detection of BC contributes to prompt linkage to care and reduction of complications associated with BC. Breast self-examination (BSE) is useful for detecting breast abnormalities particularly in settings with poor access to healthcare for clinical breast examination and mammography. Therefore, we mapped evidence on women’s knowledge, attitude, and practice of BSE in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA).MethodsWe conducted a systematic scoping review using Arskey and O’Malleys’ framework as a guide. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and Science Direct databases for relevant studies on women’s knowledge, attitude and practice on BSE. Studies included in the review were from SSA countries as defined by the World Health Organization published from 2008 to May 2019. Two reviewers independently screened the articles at the abstract and full-text screening guided by inclusion and exclusion criteria. All relevant data were extracted, and a thematic analysis conducted. The themes were collated, and a narrative summary of the findings reported.ResultsOf the 264 potentially eligible articles identified from 595,144, only 21 met the inclusion criteria and were included for data extraction. These included studies were conducted in 7 countries of which 11 were conducted in Nigeria; two each in Ethiopia, Ghana, Cameroon, and Uganda; and one each in Kenya and Sudan. Of the 21 included studies, 18 studies reported evidence on BSE knowledge and practice; two on only knowledge; one on only practice only; and six presented evidence on women’s attitude towards BSE. The study findings suggest varying knowledge levels on BSE among women in SSA countries. The study findings also suggest that BSE practice is still a challenge in SSA.ConclusionThere is a paucity of published literature on women’s knowledge, practice, and attitude of BSE in SSA. Hence, this study recommends further studies on knowledge, practice, and attitude of BSE, to identify contextual challenges and provide evidence-based solutions to improve women’s knowledge, practice, and attitude of BSE in SSA.

Breast self-examination is a cheap and easy to practice method of detecting mad cells in the breast tissue, as early detection has been proven to increase the chance of survival. The study assessed the Breast Self-Examination (BSE) knowledge and practice among female undergraduates in Lagos State. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among two hundred and thirty female undergraduates in Lagos State. The respondents were drawn from Lagos State University and the University of Lagos using a simple random sampling technique. A self-developed breast self-examination questionnaire (BSEQ) was used to elicit information on knowledge and practice of BSE among the participants. Chi-square test of association was used to test the association between the variables. The result of this study revealed that there was a significant association (χ2 =18.14, P-value = 0.234< 0.05) between knowledge of BSE and practice of BSE, but there exist no statistically significant association (χ2 = 15.10, P-value = 0.009˃0.05) between the age of the respondents and the practice of BSE. Family economic status does not have a significant association (χ2 = 13.15, P-value = 0.02˃0.05) with the practice of BSE. Also, the number of years spent in the school by the respondent does not have any significant association (χ2 = 6.33, P-value = 0.007˃0.05) with their practice of BSE. Having a close relative diagnosed with breast cancer encouraged (χ2 = 11.05, P-value = 0.114< 0.05) the practice of breast self-examination. This study concluded that awareness of BSE and practice was high among the respondents; however, only a minor proportion practiced BSE properly and regularly. Therefore, there is a wide gap between knowledge and proper practice of breast self-examination, hence there is a need for health educators to rise up to their responsibility as the town crier through strategic advocacy using the media and other available means.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0944/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

BACKGROUNDWe conducted this study to assess knowledge of breast cancer and sources of information about breast cancer among women in Riyadh. We also analyzed whether associations existed between demographic variables, knowledge of breast cancer, and the practice of breast self-examination and use of mammography screening.METHODSWomen interested in participating in this community-based descriptive study provided data by completing a pre-tested structured questionnaire.RESULTSOf 864 participating women, 84% were Saudi, 45% were married and 67.8% had a university level education. Eighty percent were between the ages of 20 to 50 years. Knowledge of breast self examination (BSE) was high; 82% (95% confidence intervals [CI], 79.2%–84.4%) knew about BSE, while 61% (95% CI: 57.9%–64.5%) knew about mammography, but only 41.2% (95% CI, 37.9%–44.5%) had performed BSE and 18.2% (95%CI, 15.5%–20.8%) had had mammography screening. Knowledge of breast cancer, risk factors and protective factors for breast cancer was moderate. There was a statistically significant association between the demographic characteristics (marital status, educational status and family history of breast cancer) and knowledge and practice of BSE and mammography.CONCLUSIONThough it has limitations, this study revealed an imbalance between the knowledge and practice of BSE among women. It also showed that there is only moderate knowledge of risk and protective factors for breast cancer and that knowledge and practice of BSE and mammograms vary according to marital and educational status. Hence, frequent community-based awareness programs are needed so that all women can know and practice BSE, which in turn helps to prevent breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause for maternal mortality globally, especially in developing countries like Ethiopia. The incidence is increasing specially in developing regions. Regular breast self-examination is one of the most cost-effective methods for early detection of breast cancer in asymptomatic women. Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the level of knowledge and breast self-examination practice, and its associated factors among students in private universities at west Arsi zone, south east Ethiopia. Methods: A facility based cross-sectional study design was conducted from April 1 to 30, 2018. A total of 355 undergraduate female students were participated in the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Binary and multivariate logistics regression analyses was applied using backward step wise method with p 0.25 criteria to enter and exit from the model respectively. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were computed and significance of all tests was determined at p ≤ 0.05. Results: From all participants 84(23.7%) were knowledgeable about breast self-examination and 148(41.7%) and 65(18.3%) of them have knowledge about sign and risk of breast cancer respectively. Only 112(31.5%) ever practiced breast self-examination, from those 79(22.3) of them practice breast self-examination monthly and most them started breast self-examination between age of 20-30 years. After adjusting for possible confounders; Field of study, knowledge of breast cancer risk and sign were significantly associated with knowledge of breast self-examination. Knowledge about breast self-examination and from constructs of health belief model perceived susceptibility and perceived barriers were significantly associated with breast self-examination practice. Conclusion: knowledge and practice of breast self-examination of undergraduate female students was low as a National guideline of Ethiopia FMOH that states all female age above 20 years should practice BSE. Therefore, the health sector should design strategies to improve female students’ knowledge and practice of breast self-examination.

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequent invasive cancer and the leading cause of death and disability in women. Early screenings and other preventive actions recommended by the health ministry are able to detect breast cancer early. Everyone has a chance of developing breast cancer, including medical professionals who significantly have a positive attitude toward breast self-examination (BSE). However, previous studies showed that knowledge of breast cancer and self-examination is excellent, but practice is generally low. Objective: This study examined the nurses' knowledge and practice of BSE. Methods: A cross-sectional study with convenience sampling was conducted on 122 nurses at the UiTM Clinical Training Centre, Sungai Buloh. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 41 questions was used to assess the understanding and use of BSE. Findings were analyzed using SPSS version 25 with a chi-square test to determine the association between sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge and practice of BSE. Result: Findings show that 72.1% had adequate knowledge of BSE and 50.8% had moderate practice. Furthermore, age, marital status, and level of study were statistically significant with knowledge and practice of BSE, where the p-value was less than 0.05. Conclusion: Breast self-examination remains an important investigation tool for the early diagnosis of breast cancer, despite other screening methods. The study's findings suggest further exploration of knowledge and practice of BSE by nurses because the knowledge they have will be beneficial to the community in increasing awareness of BSE, thus preventing breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Breast self-examination is one of the non-invasive methods of breast cancer screening in which a woman looks at her breast for any abnormal findings. Knowledge and practice of breast self-examination increase early diagnosis of breast cancer, which raises the chances for successful treatment and reduction of breast cancer mortality in Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess knowledge and practice of breast self-examination among female undergraduate students in Jigjiga City. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 407 randomly selected female students. Data were collected using a structured and pretested questionnaire and entered into SPSS Version 24 for analysis. Descriptive, and bivariate analysis was conducted and variables having p < 0.02 was selected for multivariable logistic regression analyses. The strength of statistical association between breast self-examination and independent variables was measured by an adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals, and statistical significance was declared at p-value < 0.05. The study revealed that about 28.9% of participants had good knowledge of breast self-examination, while only 17.7% practiced it. Better knowledge was linked to younger age (p = 0.03), discussions about breast self-examination (p = 0.001), knowing someone with breast problems (p = 0.02), and receiving information from colleagues (p = 0.012). Practice was more common among students in higher academic years (p = 0.04), those with a family history of breast cancer (p = 0.011), and those who received information from colleagues (p = 0.001), and health professionals (p = 0.01). The level of knowledge and practice of breast self-examination by undergraduate female students was very low. Age, discussion about breast self-examination, knowing someone diagnosed with breast problems, colleagues as sources of information, academic year, and family history of breast cancer appeared to be significantly influencing the knowledge and practice of breast self-examination. Implementations are needed in addressing young females, making awareness and advocacy campaigns about breast self-examination through different media by stakeholders to increase early diagnosis of breast cancer, which raises the chances for successful treatment in Ethiopia.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer worldwide including Malaysia. Breast self-examination is recommended as a screening method for early detection of breast cancer. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of breast self-examination among janitors at Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted by using simple random sampling, a total of 74 female janitors were recruited into this study. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire consisting sociodemographic characteristic and level of knowledge, attitude and practice towards breast self-examination. Among participants, 29% (n=22) have good knowledge regarding breast self-examination, 91.9% (n=68) have positive attitude and 51.4% (n=38) have high practice of breast self-examination. There was no significant association between knowledge of breast self-examination and practice of breast self-examination. The study shows attitude of breast self-examination have significant association between practices of breast self-examination. There was no association between socio-demographic characteristic and practice of breast self-examination. This study is crucial because it will provide healthcare professionals the early data, they need to design an effective public awareness campaign that could result in early diagnosis and treatment, which might improve survival among breast cancer patients.

BackgroundYoung breast cancer patients have a lower rate of survival than old breast cancer patients due to being diagnosed at advanced stages. Breast self-examination makes women more "breast aware", which in turn may lead to an earlier diagnosis of breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge and practice of breast self-examination and to determine knowledge of risk factors for breast cancer among high school students.MethodsThis is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. It was conducted in a high school in Manisa, Turkey. The study sample included 718 female high school students. A socio-demographic characteristics data form, knowledge of breast self examination and risk factors for breast cancer form and breast self examination practice form were used to collect data.ResultsThe female high school students had insufficient knowledge about breast self-examination and a low percentage of students reported that they had performed breast self examination monthly. The most common reason for not doing breast self- examination was "not knowing how to perform breast self-examination" (98.5%). Most of the students had little knowledge of the risk factors for breast cancer. The most widely known risk factor by the students was personal history of breast cancer (68.7%). There was a significant relation between breast self-examination practice and age, school grade, knowledge about breast cancer and knowledge about breast self- examination.ConclusionThere is a need to increase knowledge of adolescent females about the risks of breast cancer and benefits of early detection. In fact, health care professionals can develop effective breast health care programs and help young women to acquire good health habits.